Always
by thatsmia
Summary: Ten years after becoming Ladybug and Chat Noir, 24-year-old Marinette and 25-year-old Adrien want to live normal lives. Hawkmoth has disappeared and Paris has been seemingly safe from villainy. After revealing their identities to each other, Ladybug and Chat Noir's lives (private and public) change forever. I'll create a tumblr tag for it: alwaysml
1. Beginnings

There was a muffled sound.

He could hear it, faintly, in the distance.

Were they bells? Yes, bells. Bells that seemed to _bing!_ and _bong!_

And the voice? So familiar. Saying his name over and over.

 _Adrien. Adrien. ADRIEN!_

The voice came closer, a foul stench in the air surrounding him. The bells turned into a thunderous _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

He turned his head into the pillow, his face twisting into frown. All he could see was fog surrounding him. Something hit his face and then a bright light made him open his eyes and he sat up in suspense, waking up.

"LADYBUG?!"

He looked around in a panic, but saw no one. He was in his room, safe and sound, with the mid-morning sun shining through the large windows. The bells he had heard was his alarm clock, triggered prematurely. He sighed and turned it off, relieved that it was all a bad dream. However, the smell in the air still lingered. Adrien thought for a moment before realizing what the smell was: _Camembert._

"Plagg?!"

He flung the sheets off of the bed and searched around for the little black troublemaker.

"Plagg, this isn't funny!"

"What's wrong with trying to wake you up?"

Adrien looked up to his small library above and trekked up the spiral staircase. Plagg was sitting on the edge of the small loft-space with a piece of stinky, ripe camembert and a happy twinkle in his eyes.

"The problem is not waking me up, it's _how_ you do it. Did you really have to shove that piece of cheese in my face?"

"Didn't seem to really bother you that much. You sounded like you were preoccupied with a nightmare."

"I wasn't having a nightmare until you tried to wake me up."

Plagg stuffed his mouth and spoke with a muffle,

"Aren't you forgetting what today is? It's THE big day!"

"Big day? What big…..oh. OH! It can't be today!"

He rushed back down the stairs and quickly went to his computer where a large countdown on the screen said:

00:00:03 WEEKS/DAYS/HOURS UNTIL BIG DAY.

He started to panic again, scrolling through his phone to look at what people were saying. He was excited, but nervous. This day had been coming for a while. It was probably the most important one in his entire life. A new beginning. A new life.

* * *

Marinette woke up early, at 4:30, with enough time to watch the sun come up. She stood on her balcony that overlooked the city. Tikki floated beside her, yawning.

"Marinette, why this early? You didn't have to wake up before the sun."

"But I did, Tikki. It's an important day. A special day."

Tikki hugged Marinette's cheek, somewhat a little sadly.

"Don't be sad, we're not going to part ways, Tikki. Think of it this way, we're just heading down a new road. You'll still be by my side, no matter what."

There was a look of sadness in Marinette's eyes too. Even though this was a new beginning, it was leaving behind a life she had come to love. But ten years of this? She couldn't be Ladybug forever.

"Marinette?"

She turned and saw her parents standing there, Tikki had hid when she heard them come up.

"Oh, Papa…Mom…good morning."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to see the sunrise today. Seemed like a good day to do it."

Her parents smiled at her. Even after ten years, she never told them. Never accidentally confessed who she was. _I'll stay at home as long as you need me._ That was her promise to them after her graduation from high school, six years ago. Her parents knew she wanted to continue with fashion. She was lucky people were available in Paris to guide her. But, this next step she wanted to take? That was more important now.

He was more important now.

* * *

"Do I look okay?"

"Who cares how you look now? You're gonna be transformed when you go out."

Adrien let out a frustrated sigh.

"You're NOT helping. I have to at least FEEL like I look good. After today, things will be different for us."

Plagg had to admit, it WAS going to be different.

"You look fine, just like you always do. Just relax and get going! Ladybug is probably already waiting for you."

Adrien looked at himself in the mirror: here he was, ten years of being Chat Noir. Ten years of partnership with Ladybug. Ten years of falling in love over and over and over again. At age 25, he admitted to himself that he missed the days back at Collége Franҫoise Dupont when he felt he had really first started his life. He missed hanging out with Nino and the classes and teachers and after school activities. He even missed the Gorilla and Nathalie escorting him around. And even a tiny part of him missed Chloé's never-ending shenanigans. But what he would really miss was the freedom being Chat Noir gave him. Of course, he was free now in his personal life too. His father's retirement at an early age meant that he was the only one who could run the fashion empire his father had built.

He looked over at an old picture of himself, from those days. Other than getting taller and a little more muscular, he was the same old Adrien. The same Adrien who knew he had to take the next step.

She was more important now.

* * *

Marinette looked at Tikki, smiling with tears in her eyes,

"Well Tikki, last time we're doing this."

"I trust you, Marinette. I know you'll still keep me around."

With a small pat to her head, Marinette let Tikki float out of her hands.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Her transformation was activated and for the last time, she used her yo-yo to jump around and over the rooftops of Paris.

Adrien watched Plagg down one last slice of cheese.

"Oh, don't start crying."

"I was not gonna start crying, Plagg. I was waiting for you to finish so we could do this."

"One last time."

Plagg took a breath,

"Y'know, you're probably one of the better cats I've had to work with. Honest."

"Thanks for the compliment. And thanks for being there. You ready?"

Plagg nodded.

"Plagg, claws out!"

The transformation was activated and soon, Chat Noir was standing there, in front of the mirror. He stretched and gave himself a wink before jumping out the open window and towards the Eiffel Tower.


	2. Catastrophe

"As mayor of the city, it is my duty to stand here and honor Paris' greatest heroes: Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

Mayor Bourgeois stood on the huge stage in front of the Eiffel Tower. A large screen with images of Ladybug and Chat Noir throughout the years flashed behind him. In the years after their first appearances, the city had become an even bigger tourist attraction and so the police force was bigger than ever. Ten years of the duo had brought a new wave of safe times for the city. The supervillains were gone; Hawkmoth had seemingly disappeared a good three years before this day.

It was Ladybug who had first mentioned hanging up the suits and just living their lives as civilians. Chat Noir was adamant about staying the way they were. But, when he thought about it, she was right. As much as he wanted to keep going, what would he do when he was 50 years old with half a life gone and no one to share it with? He wanted to have what he seemed to never have growing up: a family. A true family. He wanted to settle down and attend performances and games for his future kids. He wanted to be there for someone. As superheroes they couldn't live normal lives. They didn't want to risk someone getting hurt if anyone found out their identities. So, they both agreed that at the ten-year honor ceremony, they'd tell everyone they were retiring from crime fighting.

Chat stood on a rooftop, looking at all the people gathered for them. He scanned the other rooftops before spotting her. He jumped to her and stood behind her.

"Before you even say anything, I just wanted you to know that I saw you coming."

"You've always been very observant, my lady."

Ladybug turned around and he smiled at her. For what seemed like the first time ever, she smiled back, genuinely happy to see him.

"Are you okay? You're returning my flirtatious smile."

"I'm really happy to see you."

He blinked. There was a hint of sadness in her voice when she spoke again,

"Can you believe we've been doing this for ten years?"

"I can't believe it either. It's been…..claw-some mew-ment after claw-some mew-ment."

She rolled her eyes and smirked at him.

"You're gonna miss my puns, Bugaboo, admit it."

Ladybug looked at the crowd and the screen with them on it. She smiled at their younger selves. She also remembered the promise she had made to him when they decided to hang up their personas. A small chuckle escaped her lips,

"Yeah, I'm gonna miss your stupid puns. And the people. And everything."

"We don't have to. We can keep going, nothing has to change."

"But I have to…I have a life outside that needs attention."

"What, do you have a boyfriend you have to go to?"

He was kidding, but her answer put a lump in his throat.

"Yes."

This was the one thing he feared more than anything. Sure, he could understand her having a boyfriend here and there, but it never was this serious. Even after all this time, he was still in love with her. And, like all the other secrets they had, he had never actually sat her down to say it. But now, now that they were going to stop, he had to. No matter what. If she had a boyfriend, so be it. She had to know. She had the right to know. The lump in his throat didn't go away. It wouldn't. Not if it meant having to watch whoever it was leave him forever.

"Oh, well…uh….maybe we should go down there. Can't keep them waiting any longer."

He jumped down, holding his hand out to her when he landed. She sighed and gave him a small smile. She knew he was hurt, even a little. His crush on her was obvious and she had never minded it, but now, she felt bad. She felt like she had just made his day even worse. When she had hinted about giving up the suits, he had given her a look she had never seen before. He was scared. She knew he wasn't keen on the plan, but seeing how it made her happy to talk about life outside of akumas and supervillains and bad times; he did anything for her. Which was why she promised him they could reveal their identities to each other when the ceremony was over.

She jumped down and took his hand. As they walked over to the crowd, cheers and whoops rang in their ears. The mayor stepped down from the podium as they walked up to it.

Ladybug took a deep breath and smiled at the crowd,

"Thank you all for being here today. You have no idea how much this means. For ten years Chat Noir and I have been keeping Paris safe from the likes of Hawkmoth and his villains."

Cameras flashed, microphones were held out, and Alya, who had followed from the beginning, stood in the front row, phone up old-school style to get their video for her Ladyblog. Ladybug smiled at her and waved, which made Alya smile even bigger.

Chat took his turn.

"Ever since Hawkmoth stopped sending villains out, it's been quiet for Paris. And…we've come to a decision."

The crowd became silent. The duo looked at each other. Ladybug was now the one with a lump in her throat.

"We've decided to…..resign as superheroes."

It seemed as though the entire city gasped at the utterance of this idea. Ladybug couldn't bring herself to look at them. The people who trusted them.

A slew of questions rang from the audience.

 _What does this mean for Paris?_

 _Who will keep us safe?_

 _Where are you going?_

 _Will you ever come back?_

This was bad. This was very bad. Ladybug hadn't realized the amount of guilt she would feel. Chat looked at her, and he quickly racked his brain on how to simmer down the situation. He knew after he said this, Ladybug would be upset. But if he said nothing, the entire city could turn on them.

"Everyone! Please! I know this sounds bad, but we'll always be around. We're just not going to be….patrolling the streets every day anymore. The police have it covered on that end. We just…..we need time for our personal lives. We've been doing this ten years. For ten years we've helped the city of Paris out. Now it's your turn. If you all could just…please, understand where we're coming from. We won't leave forever. We….need a break."

These words made the crowd silent again. Alya broke the second silence.

"So you'll always be around, right? No leaving permanently?"

Ladybug couldn't speak. Chat spoke again.

"Yes. We'll be here. Just hidden more carefully."

"Well…I suppose this is still a celebration, right?" the mayor chimed in.

Ladybug looked at Chat Noir and mouthed the words 'thank you'. He winked at her in that same way he had ever since the beginning.

With that out of the way, the rest of the ceremony was easier to stomach. They were presented with medals of honor and tons of pictures for the press. When it came time to leave, it was harder to do than when they walked up. But, with a swift wave from each of them and a goodbye and thank you from them as well as the crowd, Ladybug used her yo-yo for the last time and Chat Noir jumped as high as he possibly could to follow her. Then, they were gone.

When they were finally out of sight, Ladybug sat in the corner of a small alley.

"Well, that wasn't _such_ a cat-astrophe." Chat said, sitting next to her.

"It was. It was awful. Didn't you see all their faces?"

"Ladybug, it's over with. It's okay."

She shook her head,

"It's not. I should've never thought we could do this."

He looked at her, concern and love deep in his eyes. She looked back at him, her eyes watering and welling up with tears.

"Do you remember what I told you when we first started fighting crime together?"

"How could I not? You gave me the confidence to continue doing it."

He smiled at her, not flirtatiously this time, warmly and encouragingly. She blushed and for some reason she felt a familiarity with this smile. It was strange, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Well, my lady. Shall we?"

He stood up and offered her his hand. He knew it was now or never. He had to remind her of her promise.

"So….I guess we need to do something….."

"What do you mean?"

She took his hand and stood up.

"Bugaboo, did you forget your promise to me already?"

His face was inches from hers and she gave him a look.

"Should we even do it anymore if you said we're still gonna be patrolling the streets?"

He shook his head.

"We should do it because we promised. And regarding what I said? Sure, maybe we can't quit cold turkey, but we can at least be on alert if anything comes up. We don't have to continue patrolling or anything. Just live our lives and if we sense something really dangerous, we can come back."

She cocked her head at him. He was still the same old Chat. He still sounded so confident in what they did and stood for. She knew he could never really leave this life. Maybe she should think the same.

"Fine. Let's do it."

They stood there awkwardly, not knowing who should go first.

"Uh, well…maybe we should just go at the same time? But….don't we have to use our powers?"

She chuckled,

"Yeah, I guess so."

She gave him a signal and they both did their 'lucky charm' and 'cataclysm' at the same time. The lucky charm turned out to be nothing but a piece of paper and Chat touched it and made it disappear. Problem solved.

When the beeps of their miraculous happened at the same time, they stood there, feeling a bit weird because they weren't running away from each other.

"Listen, Ladybug, I just want to tell you before I see who you are that…..I…"

She shushed him,

"That can wait. I think I want to hear it without a mask on."

The lump in his throat returned. He was nervous. Seeing who she would really be was something he had been waiting for ten long years. He knew she was someone he had gone to school with. Someone who saw him as Adrien, but never knew.

She wasn't afraid. She knew whoever was under the mask was sure to be a friend. Someone she knew from her old school days. And he had seen her without her mask. He had seen her as Marinette plenty of times.

He grabbed her hands in his. She could feel his hand shaking. His Chat characteristics were leaving as the beeps came faster. She squeezed his hands.

"How about we close our eyes?"

"Okay. Open them on the count of three."

She nodded and closed her eyes. He did the same.

When the beeps came at their fastest and they could both feel Tikki and Plagg leaving their miraculous, they both counted to three before opening their eyes.


	3. Broken

Ch. 3

Their eyes were still closed.

Tikki and Plagg hugged each other and spun around, happy to see one another again.

Adrien gulped and whispered,

"You ready, my lady?"

Marinette squeezed his hands before opening her eyes.

The shock waves he thought he'd feel were minimal. He wasn't surprised when he saw Marinette standing before him, her hands still wrapped in his. Deep down, he had always known it was her. Realizing it now, he chuckled to himself. Seeing her, he remembered times they had spent together, like this, without the masks. It was all clear to him now. He had fallen for Marinette. His first real friend.

"Marinette."

She stood there, staring at him. How could she not figure it out? Her first major crush was crushing on her the whole time. The feeling she would get when she saw him flitted in her heart a moment before she decided to speak.

"Adrien…it was you this whole time?" She looked down and then back up at him, a frown on her face.

"Marinette?"

She started questioning herself,

"How could I not realize it was you? You don't even seem surprised to know that I'm Ladybug."

"Well, Marinette…I…I think I always knew it would be you. But, that's about to change be-"

She cut him off.

"So you just never said anything to me? You never even thought of talking to me about it?"

He looked at her questioningly,

"You're the one who didn't want to reveal our identities, Marinette. Do you know how many times I wanted to tell you so badly who I was? I didn't say anything because I respected your wishes."

She had to admit, he was right. Every time he had ever wanted to know who she was, she shut him down. But he'd be right beside her again, like nothing had ever happened. He really did respect her. As Adrien and Chat Noir.

They stood there in silence again.

This gave them the chance to really look at each other again. Without the stuttering, without the awkwardness. Marinette looked at him for the first time in years. After their graduation, she studied and worked hard on her fashion designing. There was no time to gush over him anymore and after a few years, she wouldn't feel weak in the knees whenever he was on TV or in a magazine. Her crush was put way in the back of her mind. But now, seeing him again, warmly smiling at her and looking at her in a way she had never seen him look at her before. He looked good. Okay, he looked _great_. His looks were always secondary to her, but standing here before her, he looked better than he ever had before. He was tall and strong yet still so sweet and kind. His eyes, which she had referred to once as "gorgeous green," never left her face. His hair was still that perfect shade of blonde and though it was a bit shorter than before, it made him look his age. His features had also chiseled out. His jaw was more prominent and his shoulders were broader.

Adrien also took the time to look at Marinette in this new light. Now knowing that she was his lady love, he could see all that he had missed when they were in school together. Her eyes were a sweet bluebell color. And her hair, now not in those same two pigtails, but down and flowing. It was dark, almost a midnight blue color and her face was soft and sweet, as it always was. He looked at her as if she held all the secrets in the universe.

"Well, looks like you two have some major catching up to do!"

Plagg stuffed his mouth with cheese again, Tikki laughed cutely,

"It took you very long to realize that you were both Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

Adrien looked up at Tikki and smiled, his large hand stretched out to her,

"Nice to finally meet you, I'm Adrien."

Tikki smiled and floated to his hand and sat.

"I'm Tikki!"

Plagg sat on Marinette's shoulder,

"I'm Plagg. I'm the reason he smells like cheese."

Marinette smiled softly and giggled.

"It's good to meet you, Plagg. I bet you and Tikki missed each other."

Tikki shrugged,

"We've always been around each other, so not really."

Adrien smiled and looked back at Marinette.

"Marinette….I have to tell you something."

She knew what was coming, and for the first time in a long time, she was nervous to hear it. When he was Chat Noir, it was a usual thing. But as Adrien? That was a whole new flavor. She had wanted this since she had started crushing on him and now, she was afraid of what would happen after.

"Okay. What Is it?"

Tikki and Plagg watched the confession unfold, Tikki sadly knowing what Marinette would do after, and Plagg genuinely excited for Adrien. They floated back up above them and watched.

He held her hands again.

"You remember that first mission, right?"

She nodded.

"When I….as you said, gave you confidence….I meant every word. You know that. Since the very beginning, I've known how capable you are and how smart you are. You care so much about the people around you. There's no one else who could do what you do, Marinette. And outside of being Ladybug….you've always been caring and kind to others. And you make killer designs. I think…I always knew, Marinette. I knew it would be you. And I'm glad it is. Because…I've been wanting to tell you ever since our first mission. When I saw you stand up in front of the Eiffel Tower and tell Hawkmoth we would find him and then tell everyone we'd do everything to protect them….I…I fell hard."

His cheeks turned a shade of red, but he never broke his eye contact with her.

"I love you, Marinette. I had always promised that no matter who was under the mask, I loved her. And I have never stopped."

Her eyes became soft. Hearing him say this after ten years, was both (ironically) miraculous and cataclysmic.

The next words from her mouth shook him. Almost like a blade piercing his heart.

"Adrien….thank you for telling me. I've been wanting to hear that for a long time. I was always so shy around you….that I thought maybe….you'd never feel the same way about me. But…..I'm sorry…..I waited a long time for this….and I know you probably would like to hear me say the same about you…but I can't."

His eyes widened,

"W-Why not?"

"I have a boyfriend. And…tonight….we're announcing our engagement. We're getting married in a month. I'm moving to Bordeaux."

Adrien's thorat felt dry. His heart beat faster than it ever had before. This was why she couldn't be Ladybug anymore. She was leaving. He didn't feel this way since his mother left. Another one to leave him. Another woman in his life he cared about more than anything. Gone. In an instant.

He let go of her hands gently and slowly. Marinette could see tears in his eyes and her heart hurt from the look in them. Her eyes started to water too.

"His name?"

"Henri."

 _Henri._

It was then that the waves crashed all over him. He was drowning and now even his lady couldn't save him.


	4. Automatic Eyes

Drowning. Waves thrashed and tore violently through his heart. His brain felt a little numb. Years of pining and longing over Ladybug had gotten him trapped underwater, without an oxygen tank.

Marinette could see the pain in his eyes and she felt it. She hurt him. Not just her words or her actions, but her entire being. The girl he had fallen in love with, the girl who was supposed to be standing in front of him? She wasn't there. Guilt. That's what she felt. She felt guilty for the look on his face. She felt guilty for allowing him to confess this sacred secret only to be shot down from his heavenly cloud.

"Adrien…"

He blinked, tears falling from his eyes. He quickly wiped them away.

"Adrien, I….I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, Marinette. It was silly of me to think I could confess this to you after so long."

His demeanor quickly changed, from hurt to okay. He hoped it would lessen the chances of her worrying. The last thing he needed was for her to do that. Though she had just broken his heart, he couldn't find it in himself to be angry or hate her. He still loved her. As he always would.

"Adrien….I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, my lady. I shouldn't have waited this long."

She stayed silent a moment before speaking again.

"If there's anything I can do…"

He cut her off this time, his hand in a very familiar Chat-like salute,

"I'll be in touch, Marinette. Now that we know our secret identities, we should….check up on each other. Before you leave."

He gestured to Plagg, who hid under his jacket.

"Wait! Adrien!"

He stopped and looked at her.

"Will you be okay?"

He gave her that same smirk, only now it was without the mask,

"I always am, aren't I, Bugaboo?"

She looked at him, a bit shocked he was taking this well all of a sudden.

"Uh…yeah…you are."

"I'll see you later, Marinette. My people will get in touch with your people."

He walked away, turning a corner and disappearing.

Marinette's gaze went to Tikki, who sighed,

"Marinette, he's hurt."

"I know, Tikki….this is the worst thing I could have done to him. And now he knows why I really can't be Ladybug anymore."

She sighed heavily, heading towards the bakery. Her phone rang and she answered, smiling gently when the person she wanted the most to talk to was on the other line.

* * *

It was a nice day, two years prior. The sun was out and Marinette was helping her parents with the mid-day rush in the bakery. She was covered in flour from head to toe and she was helping both of her parents simultaneously roll dough and decorate cookies. Her back was turned when he walked in. His voice was smooth and a little low.

"I'm here to pick up an order."

It was then that she noticed her parents were busy with a display to help the man.

She turned around and started to sort through the order book,

"I can help you. What's the order name?"

"Henri Rompre."

She looked up at him and immediately, her knees went weak. His eyes were a deep blue, his hair a chocolate dark brown. He was tall and a little muscular. He smiled at her; even his smile was gorgeous too.

"Uh….right….uh….Renri? Uh…..Hempre?"

"Henri Rompre."

"Right!"

She fumbled with the order book and finally found his name, a massive order of cookies (the ones she was decorating) on the slip of paper.

"Uh…I'm still decorating them. But, I'm almost done."

She blushed heavily, a bit embarrassed she was covered in flour.

"No need to worry. I can wait."

That's how it happened. How she had met Henri. Love at first sight. Looking back on it, her massive crush on Adrien never felt like this. She instantly clicked with Henri. He never had to prove anything to her, he was the whole package from the beginning. When she was around Henri, her worries went away. She figured if she was meant to be with Adrien, some twist of fate had to have put them together. Tikki and her parents were a bit hesitant at first about Henri. After hearing so much about Adrien, they figured she'd grow out of her shyness and talk to him. But with their schedules and lives directing them down seemingly different paths, how could she ever have time to see him? That wasn't fair to a guy who was always here. Well, he wasn't _always_ around, but certainly more than she knew Adrien would be. Ever since learning he had inherited his father's company, she knew it would be almost impossible to start any sort of relationship with him. It seemed as though he had moved on. She figured he had a gorgeous model girlfriend, one prettier than her, blonde and rich. Someone like Chloé without the Chloé part. She didn't know if she could ever stop thinking about Adrien, but Henri sure made her worries go away.

* * *

When he had turned the corner, Adrien ran home as fast as he could and slammed every door behind him until he was in his room and he just let it out. All of it. He cried out in frustration and slumped against the wall and curled his knees up to his chest. Tears finally fell from his eyes, like massive dam breaks. He sobbed and hiccuped. He cursed himself.

 _How could I not have told her sooner?_

 _I should have told her when I got the company._

 _It's not her fault._

 _Marinette loves someone else._

 _She waited for me._

 _I took too long._

 _I have no one._

Plagg sat on his shoulder and sighed,

"Are you just going to sit there and mope?"

Adrien stood up and looked out the window. He looked at his ring. He wished he could take it all back. He knew Plagg meant well, but he didn't want to talk to him. He took the ring off and Plagg disappeared.

"What do I do now?"

No one answered. He looked over at old pictures on his wall. His mother. His father. The three of them. His "family." He remembered seeing a photo of Marinette and her parents once when he had been in her home with Ladybug. With Marinette. They looked happy. He wondered if he could ever feel that way. And he was wondering the same thing again. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't change her mind. He wasn't sure anyone could.

After a few minutes of silently brooding, he put his ring back on.

"Don't ever do that again!"

"Sorry Plagg, I needed some real alone time to think. But I don't know what to do. I still love her."

Plagg shook his head and munched on a piece of camembert,

"I think it's easier than you think. She clearly still likes you."

"Were you not paying attention? She's _engaged_. She's getting married, moving away and never coming back."

"You said you'd check up on her, remember? How about you go and meet this guy she's with. You could definitely change her mind then. She won't be able to resist you. I remember once, I thought I loved cheddar more than camembert, but then I remembered all the good times this cheese has shared with me and I realized I love it the most."

"Great analogy. You've only used it, what, ten thousand times before? I don't want to do that to her. But I do want to make sure she's in good hands. No matter how much it hurts."

"You are _really_ in love with her, aren't you?"

Adrien sat down in his chair. Plagg couldn't understand. When his mother left, he didn't know if true love was real. And while it took him a little to fall for Marinette (when he only knew her as Ladybug), he knew it was true love. There was nothing that would change his mind. And now that he thought about it, of course he had fallen for her as Marinette too. Sometimes he caught himself thinking about her and what she was doing. During meetings, walking down the street, sitting at his desk. He never knew why Marinette, but now it was clear. Getting to know her as Ladybug gave him chances to get to know her as Marinette. She had been his first friend. That day in the rain, with his umbrella. He had only ever confessed those things to her.

"I'm going to see her. Just to be friendly. Like I said….make sure she's happy."

"You sure you don't want to go with my plan? You could remind her all about your old school days."

"No, Plagg. She would never forgive me if I did that. If he's who she wants to be with, who am I to say she can't?"

* * *

That night, the bakery was alive with guests. Marinette and Henri were going to announce their engagement to family and friends.

"Mari!"

Henri strode in, happy and excited. Marinette smiled at him, a cute dress she made just for the occasion on her. He kissed her hello.

"I was afraid you'd be late."

"Of course not, Mari. I couldn't miss this. I _am_ the future groom, remember?"

The worries of earlier in the day were tucked into the back of her mind and she would have completely forgotten if the door hadn't opened minutes after. Many of the guests gasped and some started whispering.

 _Is that Adrien Agreste?_

 _What's he doing here?_

 _Does he know someone here?_

Marinette's cheeks turned a deep beet red. She was thinking he'd check up on her like he said, but not here. Not now. Adrien said hello to her parents, who looked both surprised and happy to see him after so many years.

"Adrien….I mean, Mr. Agreste! What brings you here?" her mother asked.

"Marinette invited me. I couldn't turn down an invitation from an old friend."

She sighed, the Chat side of him showing. It wasn't funny this time around. But she wasn't about to yell at him in front of all these people.

"Old friend? You know Adrien Agreste, Mari?"

Marinette nodded,

"We went to school together."

"Wow…it's so nice to meet you, Adrien. I'm Henri Rompre."

Henri stuck his hand out and Adrien shook it. He smiled. Marinette had to admit to herself that even after all that happened today, Adrien looked genuinely happy for her. She was sure he was still hurting. She still felt guilty. But she was also upset that he had invited himself to her private engagement party.

"Nice to meet you too. Marinette tells me you're her boyfriend."

"Yes, well…actually…"

Henri cleared his throat and called everyone's attention. While he made a little speech (it actually felt like an eternity to everyone else), Adrien stood next to Marinette. She whispered furiously to him,

"What are you doing here?!"

"Came to check on you, my lady."

"Don't call me that. I'm not her anymore."

"Marinette, I'm here to celebrate with you."

She blinked at him.

"You're joking."

"Would I ever do that, Marinette?"

"You're….serious?"

He nodded, the sadness in his eyes present, but she knew all he wanted was for her to be happy. Never had he ever lied to her, acted malicious, hateful, arrogant, or angry towards her. Adrien had seen so much pain; he would never wish any on someone else. This kindness….felt so familiar. So warm. Marinette's heart started to beat fast. Flutter like a butterfly within the cage of her innermost being. That spark she had thought was gone…

"….Mari?"

Marinette looked over at Henri.

"Oh! Right! Um….well….Henri and I…we're engaged."

Everyone gasped and clapped happily. Her mother came and hugged her. Her father shook Henri's hand. Alya was there too, hugging Marinette and smiling. Marinette smiled, but a twinge of something in her heart told her something different.

"Do you have a ring yet?" her father asked.

Henri blushed,

"Not yet. I'm getting it for her soon. We're also….going to be married in a month. My job back home is not giving me anymore time in Paris and Mari has agreed to move to Bordeaux."

The crowd congratulated them again, her parents looking at each other a little forlornly.

Adrien shook Henri's hand again.

"Congrats. If you don't mind my asking, what's your occupation?"

"I'm an art curator at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux."

"And your intentions for marrying Marinette?"

Henri gave him a strange look,

"Well…I love her….and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Adrien nodded. Marinette crossed her arms and pulled him away.

"What are you doing, Adrien?"

"I'm making sure my Bugaboo is safe in the hands of another man."

"Okay, look, I'm sorry about today, but you can't be doing this."

"And why not?"

"Because I….I don't want you here right now. I know I hurt you. Why did you feel the need to be here?"

He looked at her seriously again,

"I want to make sure you're okay. If you're leaving, I want you to be safe. That's really the truth, Marinette. All joking aside. I just want you to be happy."

She felt that flutter in her heart again, trying desperately to push it away.

It all came back to those eyes. Those gorgeous green eyes. Full of love and sadness.

It was her turn to feel the waves of uncertainty crash around her and fill her lungs with doubt. About everything.


	5. Returned to Sender

People do crazy things when they're in love.

Maybe that was why he had basically crashed her party. It made sense to him when he came up with it in his head, but as he thought about it later that night, he cursed himself. In acting upon his idea, he had only made things worse. Showing love and affection was hard for Adrien as his family life had no perfect example of it. After his mother disappeared, there was nothing that screamed "loving" to him from his father or anyone else around him. Except his friends. And Ladybug, in her own way. Well, Ladybug was actually Marinette the whole time, who, when he thought about it, was especially loving and encouraging when she wasn't falling over herself. At least, that's what he remembered her being like before they went their separate ways.

Adrien was back home now, having just returned from his little charade at the party he had invited himself to.

"You probably just messed up your chances even more just by doing that."

"Thanks for the comforting words, Plagg."

He sighed, knowing nothing he could do now would change anything.

"Maybe you should talk to her."

"And say what? What can I say that I already haven't?"

Plagg shrugged and tossed a huge slice of camembert into his mouth, rubbing his belly in satisfaction.

Adrien sighed,

"You're no help."

He slumped down in his desk chair. Looking back on it, she was there. She had _always_ been there. There were so many moments he remembered: her standing up for anyone she saw was being wronged, their gaming escapade, school dances, the Lila situation, and every single time she worried about him as Ladybug. She was there. _It was always Marinette._ Realizing how often she turned up in his life, he felt so stupid for not picking up the signals that she was attracted to him. Being in that environment was brand new to him. Having never gained experience interacting with other people his age, it was obvious he wouldn't be able to reciprocate the same mannerisms, words, and feelings exactly. When he had first joined their class all those years ago, they all thought he was someone like Chloe merely because he was friends with her. But in all that haziness, Marinette gave him a chance. He remembered her not liking him at all when they first met; he had even thought she hated him. But after explaining his situation to her under the dark clouds and the ever-pouring rain, holding out an umbrella to her so she wouldn't go home soaking wet, she knew. She listened. She understood. He realized that was probably what made her start to like him. His realness. He had never spoken to anyone about how he felt. Adrien remembered reading somewhere that venting to strangers about one's problems helped more than a close friend. It was then that he decided a) there was a loophole with him as Marinette wasn't exactly a stranger then and b) that's what made her his friend in the first place and so agreeing with the "experts" was never going to happen.

Sitting there, he tried to think of a thousand different ways to show her that he was sorry for whatever discomfort he caused. Flower? Lame. Jewelry? Cliché. A note? Preschool. Adrien racked his brain, flipped through the books in his library, clicked through his computer, nothing fueled his brain. Nothing could inspire him. Nothing gave him an idea. What he needed was luck. He opened and closed a desk drawer a few times, trying to see if going through mundane actions would help. That's when he saw it. Something he had completely forgotten he had. He plucked it out of the drawer and smiled. Memories flooded back to him. That day she gave it to him. He had never returned it.

Later that night, Marinette sat on her bed, looking through a bridal magazine. Tikki was helping her bookmark certain pages of items she thought were pretty.

"What are you thinking about Marinette? You're a little quiet."

Marinette pulled her knees up to her chest, an action she hadn't done since she was very small.

Her mind went back to that day. In the rain. When he had given her his umbrella. He had shown her such kindness. He wasn't the stuck up, Chloe-like, snobby rich model she had first thought him to be. Adrien was real. More real than the photos of him she used to have hanging up on her bedroom wall. More real than the sort of quiet boy who sat in front of her all those years ago in Mme. Bustier's class. To her, Adrien was more real than when he was Chat Noir. She smiled to herself and chuckled. Chat Noir. What a strange and yet, interesting, guy. Of course, now that she knew Adrien _was_ Chat Noir, things felt a lot different.

It meant that the tall, black leather clad kitty who flirted with her all those year? That was Adrien.

All the teasing, all the confessions of love, all the silly puns? Adrien.

The protecting behind his baton, the words of encouragement? _Adrien._

There were times she did feel a little shy around Chat and that was when she knew he would watch her leave, with an awestruck smile on his face. That was when Marinette felt the most vulnerable. There was always the fear of letting Chat down, because she knew how amazing he thought she was. Now that she thought about it, maybe a part of her sensed that it was always Adrien behind the mask. _Always Adrien_.

She put the magazine away, curling up under the sheets.

"Do you think he hates me, Tikki?"

"Why would he hate you, Marinette?"

"I broke his heart….I was so ugly to him earlier….how am I going to face him again?"

Tikki sat on Marinette's head, thinking.

"You just have to move on, Marinette. Adrien was only being nice, but he doesn't hate you. I don't think he ever could. He waited too long to tell you. You're with Henri now, things will work out."

Marinette sighed and admitted it to herself. She said it out loud so that she wouldn't start thinking irrationally again.

"You're right, Tikki. I guess I just got caught up in old feelings. Besides, I'm sure he'll be okay. Maybe after telling me those things tonight, he can move on. He probably has other things to worry about."

Tikki gave a confident smile and nod before yawning.

"Let's get to bed. I think you have to order those things you marked tomorrow morning if you want them in by the wedding."

Marinette yawned too and turned out the light.

"Yeah...I know Henri will like those little table markers….I really like them…."

She dozed off to sleep quickly, mumbling a bit more about the wedding. The back of her mind was quiet now, but not completely silent.

The next morning, Adrien woke up still in his desk chair. His face was resting against the keyboard and he had been working on an email to someone when he had fallen asleep. The imprinted keys left a few red marks on his face, but he ignored them when he stood up to stretch and look in the mirror. In his hand he still held the lucky bracelet, the one Marinette gave to him when they were both practicing for the Ultimate Mecha Strike 3 tournament, a tournament he ultimately gave up his place for after Marinette tried to give up her own so Max could participate. That wasn't the only situation he had seen Marinette shine in. There were plenty of examples he could pull from their time together in school. And even more from their work together as Ladybug and Chat Noir. There was nothing Marinette couldn't do. When she set her mind on something, she always accomplished it. She was lucky. Like a ladybug.

The bracelet had gotten him through extremely hard times. He kept it in his pocket every day since she had given it to him. _To borrow._ There had been various times where he'd remember to give it back but then the situation would deem it necessary for him to hold onto it. He knew every bead, the feel and the colors. Sometimes when he felt sad or frustrated, he'd take it out and look at it. He stopped after a few years because work and life would get in the way. There were less moments as he grew older. He had somehow put it in the desk drawer and forgotten about it until now. He ran the beds between his thumb and forefinger meticulously before standing up and stretching. He was going to give it back to her.

Right now.

As he walked down the street, Adrien was quickly thinking of what he wanted to say to her once he saw her.

"Just try not to screw it up or scare her with another declaration of love."

"I'm not trying to do any of those things, Plagg. I just want to talk to her."

"Yeah, but now it seems every time you try to do that, all she gets out of you is word vomit."

"Look, I've been planning this whole thing out. Everything _should_ work out okay."

Plagg thought for a moment.

"Y'know, come to think of it, she used to say the same kind of word vomit-y things to you, once upon a time."

Adrien ignored that last comment but as he approached the bakery, his hands became a little clammy. His breathing quickened and sweat formed on his forehead. He was getting nervous. A wave of uncertainty fell over him and he stopped walking, extremely tempted to simply turn around and go home. He stopped across the street, near Collége Fran oise Dupont. It looked exactly the same as it had ten years ago, when he first started attending school there. Where he first made friends. Where he first met Marinette. He could see through the frosted glass of the bakery across the street that she was inside. He took a deep breath, his exhale coming out in a shaky movement. Adrien Agreste had never been more nervous in his life. Of course, this probably wasn't the last time he'd be _this_ nervous but at this particular moment it seemed as though his life depended on this conversation with Marinette.

"Well, are you gonna go or what?"

"I'm _thinking,_ Plagg."

Plagg said nothing else, simply shaking his head and darting back into Adrien's coat pocket to munch on a piece of cheese.

 _It's now or never._ He thoughts. Adrien took a deep breath. He waited for the walk sign on the crosswalk to blink on and he calmly walked across the street. When he got next to the windows of the shop, Marinette wasn't inside anymore. He signed and started to turn back until he heard the bell jingle on the door. Someone else had walked in. He peeked into the window again seeing an old woman had been the one who opened the door. Marinette was soon inside again, helping the customer. He slowly walked back to the door, opened it, and stepped inside with enough time to hear the tail end of the small conversation.

"Oh well, that's very wonderful! Congratulations on your engagement, Miss Dupain-Cheng."

"Thank you, Madame. I'll have your order out in a moment."

The old woman turned around and smiled at Adrien when she heard the bell jingle,

"Oh, this must be him! How very handsome!"

Marinette looked up, a smile on her face at the thought of Henri surprising her.

"Adrien!"

He waved politely. "Hey Marinette."

The old woman smiled happily.

"My, you two make such a lovely couple! You are very lucky to have Miss Dupain-Cheng, young man."

Adrien, not wanting to disappoint the old woman, especially one so nice, just nodded and smiled.

"Oh no...he's not…"

"Well, I need to get going dear. How much do I owe?"

Marinette focused on the woman's question.

"Um...that will be ten euros please."

"Thank you, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I look forward to seeing you again. And you, young man, take care of her, okay?"

Adrien nodded again and smiled shyly,

"Of course, Madame."

The woman left with a satisfied smile on her face and once the little ring of the bell silenced, Marinette looked at him with a frown on her face.

"Hi."

"Hi. Can I help you with anything?"

Adrien knew that face; she had given it to him the first time they met. It hadn't been the best first impression.

"I just….came to apologize."

"I've heard your apology already, Adrien. You don't need to do it again."

"Yes I do."

Marinette turned away from him, starting to place various pastries onto display racks around the small shop. She was trying to ignore him.

"Marinette, please…"

Tikki's small voice came from the small pocket in the apron she was wearing.

"Marinette, just listen to him. You won't do any good ignoring him."

She sighed and put the tongs and tray she was holding down.

"Fine."

Adrien took a breath.

"Marinette...I'm sorry. I...did something stupid. And I know this sounds like a schoolboy apology. But really….I am sorry. For everything. For intruding on your engagement party. For wanting to continue something you can't. For…. For never noticing you. For making you feel invisible. I'm sure super popular model Adrien Agreste never made you feel like you were important back then. I was never good at talking to anyone….girls especially. You were my first real friend, Marinette. And I should have known better. I should have realized that you had feelings towards me. I….I honestly had never had a girl like me before. And now…..at 25….I can't get girls to stop wanting me. That sounds so conceited….I'm sorry….I just…..here."

He held out his fist and opened it, revealing the lucky bracelet.

Marinette's expression changed from a frown to a small open mouth of surprise.

"...that's…."

"I forgot to give it back to you….if I'm going to be honest….I kept it on purpose. It really is lucky. All these years...I….held onto it because I knew that I'd need luck….from the luckiest girl I know."

She gingerly took it from his hand and looked at it. It was still the same bracelet, but it had been with him this entire time. She remembered giving it to him when he lamented about not being good at playing Mecha Strike 3. Goosebumps had run down her skin when she had decided to do that. Back then, just the thought of them being alone together made her knees weak. Now here they were, alone with the bracelet. Just like before.

"I…"

"You should take it back. You'll need it for…..for when you get married….and move away."

She could hear the sadness in his voice.

"Adrien…."

"I should go. I'm glad I got to give it back to you...after all this time. I promise that won't happen again. I might just forget to return something to you altogether."

He chuckled before turning to open the door.

"Adrien…."

She took his hand and made him turn around, her arms enveloping him in a hug. Fireworks went off inside his brain and his legs felt heavy. His arms moved around her in a hug back. There was a moment of silence between them. He took in her scent, a mixture of honey and strawberries. It was lovely. She took in his too, a slight hint of mint and fancy cologne.

"Thank you."

"Thank you for letting me use it."

They stayed like that for another moment before the door opened.

It was Henri.

"Mari! I have a surprise for you!"

Adrien and Marinette were still hugging when he moved his head around the bouquet of flowers he had brought and he laughed a little awkwardly.

"Henri!"

Marinette quickly took Adrien's arms off of her and ran up to Henri, kissing his cheek.

"These are for you."

"You're so sweet!"

Adrien cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I'll be going now….uh….thanks for taking the….bracelet...Marinette."

"Bracelet?"

"Oh, um...he found an old bracelet I used to have when we went to school together."

"Ah, how nice of you to give it back. You're a good man, Adrien."

"Thanks. If you'll excuse me….I need to go home now. I have a….meeting tomorrow."

He quickly moved past them and out the door, hurrying across the street and back home before either of them could say anything else.

"What was that about?" Henri asked.

"Oh, nothing. He's just a bit tired I guess. But these flowers are beautiful."

"I knew you'd like them. Let's go put them in a vase, shall we?"

The two of them walked up to the apartment where her parents were enjoying lunch. Marinette couldn't help but feel ten-thousand different things all at once. The feelings she had tried to push away the night before were coming back. At full force.

Adrien shut the door to his room and sat at his computer. He was finally home and he was even more miserable than before.

"I'm an idiot."

"You're not an idiot. You're just….very unlucky."

"Thanks. Now I know why I was chosen to be the black cat and nothing more."

"Don't say that! I'm the one who gives you those powers and I happen to find that the black cat is the coolest out of all the miraculous."

He furrowed his brows and moved the mouse on his computer. The email he had been writing was still there, but he noticed a new message in his inbox. He clicked on it and his eyes became wide.

 **FROM:** ga 

**TO:** aagreste 

**SUBJECT:** Return

 _Adrien,_

 _I'm coming to Paris in 3 days. I would like to speak with you about a matter concerning the company. Nathalie will be by to make sure things are in order. She's happy to come out of her long vacation so make her feel welcome in the house again._

 _-Father_


End file.
